DayofPal—The Israeli army is leading its tanks to the heart of Gaza City, continuing its escalating offensive to displace the people and occupy the city amid communications and media blackout.
Gaza City is now enduring its third consecutive night of intense bombardment, as Israeli ground forces push further into civilian areas in an apparent effort to depopulate the city.
Entire neighborhoods across Gaza City have been devastated by relentless airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling. Civilian homes and makeshift tents sheltering displaced families have been directly targeted, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries.
The Palestinian Civil Defense issued an urgent plea, warning that residential areas are being bombarded with incendiary weapons launched from tanks and warplanes in addition to explosive robots.
Residents of Gaza City experienced a sleepless night due to intensified low-flying fighter jets and Israeli bombings, which were heard from central areas of the Strip. The situation is far worse for those under direct attack in Sahaba and Daraj neighborhoods as well as in Sheikh Redwan.
Two explosive robots were detonated by Israeli forces overnight in the Sheikh Radwan area and along Al-Nafaq Street, coinciding with sustained shelling that left several civilians wounded and caused widespread destruction.
In one particularly harrowing incident, Israeli strikes targeted the Jumla family home near Al-Shawa Square in the dead of the night. A young girl injured in the attack was rushed to Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest hospital, already overwhelmed and under immense pressure. Three other people were killed by a drone strike at Sheikh Redwan bridge early this morning.
On the ground, thousands of Palestinians are attempting to flee using the only Israeli-approved route: Al-Rashid Street, which connects Gaza City to central and southern parts of the Strip.
The road is jam-packed with families fleeing on foot, in overloaded trucks, or in carts pulled by donkeys. A journey that once took 20 minutes by car now takes five to seven hours under the current conditions.
“We didn’t sleep last night. The sounds of explosions and fighter jets filled the air even here in the central Gaza Strip,” said one resident. “If it was like this here, we can’t imagine the terror those in Gaza City are living through.”
As the humanitarian situation worsens, central Gaza has also come under fire. Israeli airstrikes struck the vicinity of the main electricity company in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, exacerbating already dire conditions caused by prolonged power outages and the collapse of vital infrastructure.
The so-called “safe zones” in Khan Younis, Deir Al-Balah, and Al-Bureij Camp have proven anything but safe. These areas were hit overnight in a wave of attacks that left thousands of displaced Palestinians in a state of panic, struggling to find shelter amid the destruction.
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